(Our Tech Blog) Is WordPress just a blogging software? No. Since it’s launch in 2003, WordPress has made the web a better place. With it’s newbie friendly interface and high quality code, WordPress has become a very popular Content Management System. Did you know that Fortune 500 companies run their websites on WordPress? From that statement alone you should realize that WordPress is not a joke, and can seriously help you leverage your business. People seem to talk about WordPress alot, but are still skeptical about it. Many people ask me the following questions:
- What does WordPress look like?
- Do any big companies or famous people use it?
- Can I use it for something more than a blog?
- Can I make money with WordPress?
Wordpress is give you the option to run different themes, which you can download for free or purchase at premium marketplaces. Most of the time famous companies and celebrities use WordPress as a blog to keep their peers up to date. Ever since it’s revolution, WordPress has given designers and developers incredible tools to create amazing sites for their clients. Smarter individuals that see the software’s full potential, use WordPress to create all sorts of different websites. To list some of the possible websites that you can create with WordPress, check out the following list:
- E-Commerce — Wanna sell your art, prints, t-shirts, accessories, or any other kind of item you can think of? WordPress allows to do that!
- Q&A Websites — Want create your own Yahoo Answers Q&A clone? Themes like AskIt, Answers, QnA Theme, and WP-Answers make it more than possible.
- Blogs — Got something personal to share? Go ahead and start your own blog with WordPress.com or a self-hosted blog with WordPress.org
- Forums — Plugins like Simple:Press will allow you to add a fully-functional forum to your WordPress website.
- Wiki Website — Want to create your own Wikipedia like knowledgebase? Themes like WikiBase, WordPress Wiki Theme, and KnowPress Knowledge Base make it easy!
- Membership Website — You can use WordPress to offer subscription-based premium contentby having users register on your site for access — free or fee-based. This is a great way to build your loyal fanbase/readership.
- Feed Aggregators — Wanna set up a technology related RSS aggregator? There are tons of great options out there, one of the best free options is the Aggregator WordPress Theme from Templatic.
- Podcast Websites — Got an awesome podcast that need it’s own webspace? No problem, check out the WordPress Codex on podcasting.
- Job Boards — Want to launch a specialized job board attached to your site? The Jobpress theme is a great option along with Jobroller, Job Board, and Tapp-Jobs.
- Magazine Websites — With WordPress you can create a CNN like website that offers daily news and can be categorized neatly. There is more that thousands of beautiful Magazine based WordPress themes out there, it’s up to you to choose the one!
- Mobile Websites — Create a mobile version or your site or make a site mobile-friendly with tools like the WordPress Mobile Pack.
- Portfolios — Are you a designer or a developer that wants to show off your work? Look no further, just like the magazine websites, there are tons of Portfolio based WordPress themes.
- Real Estate Websites — Professional Realtors can run specialized sites such as real estate websites with the use of professionally-designed themes like the AgentPress theme from StudioPress.
- Review Sites — You can create a simple review site using the WordPress platform by implementing post rating plugins. One of the most used ones is GD Star Rating Plugin.
- Sales Page — Selling an e-book? Did you put your blood, sweat, and tears in it? Why not go the pro way and use high quality themes like Ebook, Booker, and Bookclub.
- Social Networks — Do you want to start your own social network? Use the open source BuddyPress solution and launch your own social network using WordPress. BuddyPress seamlessly integrates into wordpress thus allowing you feel like a young er version of Mark Zuckerberg*.
- Video Sites — Use wordpress to host your own vlog or feature other videos from Vimeo, Youtube, Dailymotion, and other video websites. All you need to do is simply embed them, and you are ready to roll!
Wanna find some awesome WordPress themes, but don’t know where to look? Don’t worry we got you covered, check out the following article: 31 Websites to Purchase Premium WordPress Themes
As you can see above if you are an entrepreneur looking to start his/her own business WordPress is a very handy tool to have under your belt. All of the websites you can create listed above are just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much you can build with WordPress it’s not even funny. There are thousands of plugins followed by strong community support that will help you out when in need. Wordpress is a free software that will save you money, and time in the long run. It is completely up to you to buy a premium theme, or use one of the thousands free templates available.
We wanted to collect some of the most beautiful websites that use WordPress as a CMS. While searching far across the web we have arguably collected some of the best WordPress designs around. We wanted to focus a little bit more on heavy traffic websites that use WordPress, thus showing you it’s full potential. Without further ado, we hope you will find this collection inspiring!